Ever since high school, my dream job has always been travel writing. Along the way, many people told me it would be too difficult—or even impossible. I believed it.

For a long time, I thought I would need to work a desk job forever, to pay my bills and student loans. I didn’t like cubicle life, so at the end of last year, I shifted my attitude and started thinking positively.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Where do you see yourself in 5 years? These are tough things to figure out—and, often, your first answer may not end up being the correct one.

Aaron Weber spoke with someone who dealt with her own shifting career goals. This person went from academic administration to marketing management, picking up two master’s degrees along the way. Check out what she had to say about her educational path and what it did for her career.…

In April of my freshman year of college, my Politics 101 professor emailed me asking if I’d take a job as his research assistant. I was excited and honored, but also scared that I wasn’t capable of taking classes and working at the same time.

I’m now going into my third year as a research assistant, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made. It looks great on my résumé, I’ve learned how to better manage my time, and I’m making money. I recommend finding a part-time job to everyone—it’s taught me as much as some classes I’ve taken.

You, too, can handle working while you’re in college. Here’s how to find a job that’s right for you—without work affecting your grades.…

A little while ago, my fellow SALT™ blogger Bridget wrote a great piece about considering total compensation when comparing job offers.

I’d like to take it a step further and talk about maximizing those benefits after you’ve started your job. After all, just because they offer the benefits doesn’t mean your employer will remind (or require) you to use them.

In my previous post, I mentioned writing a post-interview email that I thought my interviewer liked. However, it took some effort for my message to reach that point.

Starting out, I didn’t know how to structure this email—I had to look up exactly what to do. This made me think that perhaps you could use some tips on how to structure a “thank you” message to send your interviewer after the interview. Here’s what I found out.…

They say “do what you love and the money will follow,” but I’ve always taken such colloquialisms with a grain of salt.

When I started blogging about my student debt experience, I didn’t expect my writing would secure any attention—let alone profit. However, after 3 years of blogging, my website, Money After Graduation, has become an unexpected resource of both money and work experience.

Since then, I’ve become enthusiastic advocate of pursuing your passions on the side. Here are three big reasons why.…

Most recent graduates are concerned about finding a full-time job. Recently, though, I faced an entirely different concern with my first post-grad job.

Sitting in a cramped conference room with just my boss, I had to figure out a way to explain that my last day would be in 2 weeks. It felt uncomfortable and maybe even a little crazy. But I knew I had to do it—and do it with at least some grace.…

SALT is brought to you by American Student Assistance®.
American Student Assistance, ASA, SALT, Money knowledge for college—and beyond, and corresponding logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of American Student Assistance.